Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Only an hour and a half from Denver and open nearly year-round, this place simply kicks.

by Contributor

The Scene
The highest ski area in North America (13,050 feet at the summit), this is one of the few places in Colorado where the lifts rise a significant distance above timberline. The high-alpine environment means you may contend with bitter-cold weather at midwinter. It also means that this upper bowl usually holds snow through July.

The Slopes
A-Basin is a magnet for spring skiers. The long, warm days of March to June--when most of the slide zones have settled down and the road over Loveland Pass is dry--are the best time to hit the Basin. The custom is to bring a beach chair, a cooler and your dog. The lower parking lot turns into an extended tailgate party.

Vital Stats
Vertical drop: 2,270 feet
Base elevation: 10,780 feet
Summit elevation: 13,050 feet
Number of trails: 69
Skiable acres: 490
Beginner: 15 percent
Intermediate: 40 percent
Advanced Intermediate: 5 percent
Advanced: 20 percent
Expert: 20 percent

11/11/05

Awesome but outdated

by nadedodger

It s an awesome resort. as pepole have said before, it s a challenge and it s got a lot of a local feel and it s user friendly. the only drawback is their lifts. they re so damn old and slow. it seems like it takes forever to get up, and if you re a good skier/rider, it takes no time to get down if you re just doing some speed runs down the blues. by the way, their blues is what you d normally find as blacks at Breck or Keystone. The east wall is amazing if you get to it as soon as it opens. 46 degree steeps of pure fun and powder. especially if you hike the shoots and gap the lower traverse line on the way down. It s a fun mountain enjoyable even if you go on your own.

• Pros: Free close in parking, great beer selection, challenging runs
• Cons: old lifts, slow lifts

12/12/04

REAL Skiing

by pdonoho

This area is incredibly underated. However, that being said, if you're a vain skier, more into the scene and seeing and being seen, you'd best take your self-loving-self somewhere else because this hill is too much for you. Olympians train here, European ski groups are in awe here, real people have a real good time here. It is a pure experience of what skiing should be, and used to be. If you'd like to spend your time with great friends, eating real food, drinkin' good beer, enjoying what I think is the top 3 scenery resorts in Colorado and having a REAL experience which also just happens to save you probably hundreds of dollars, then A-Basin is THE place to go on the front range. The mid-winter skiing is just as good as most other front range areas by the way, wind can be a problem at any of them.

• Pros: inexpensive, GREAT parking, integrity
• Cons: , not for the vain

01/03/03

Please don't go here. I love it here.

by ironicday

The only problem with this hill is that its either very easy or very hard. The hard part is on the far right side (if your looking up the hill.) ENJOY!

• Pros: Hard!
• Cons: Hard!

11/12/02

Sweet

by Ssor

Its ok. very nice but hhard for beginers. i hope u have fun at this resort

11/12/02

It ROCKS!!!!!!!!

by hottvr

It ranks #1 on my list and the list is very long.

Since 1970 I've skied all of the major resorts

in Colorado(and some not so major)as well.

A-Basin is the bomb for sure. Its no frills skiing

at its best. If you are looking for glitz and glitter

you should drive on over to Aspen or Vail.

At A-Basin there won't be a full length fur coat

in sight. This is skiing the way it used to be.

Before the mega corporate resorts. The other

good thing is its just over the hill to my #2 pick Loveland. A-Basin is as good as it gets!!!!!!

• Pros: Awesome view, Steep and Deep, It just rocks!!!
• Cons: Nothing